A Twin’s Guilt
♚ Nikolai ♚
I read the email over and over, each line carving deeper into my chest.
The message from the hospital, followed by that anonymous text, shattered the last bit of illusion I had left.
In that moment, I knew—my life wasn't just spiraling. It had already crashed.
I destroyed everything.
Because of my carelessness, my selfishness, my inability to think beyond my damn sexual urges, I hurt the one person I swore I'd never turn against—my brother.
Now, I'm about to be a father... twice. Two different women. One of them is his ex. The other—his wife.
This isn't guilt. This is self-inflicted ruin.
I used to be reckless, shameless, the manwhore of L.A.—and I wore that title with pride. Until she walked into my life.
Angel Caribello.
At first, I was drawn to her body, that goddess silhouette and sun-drenched skin. Lust. Pure and simple. But the more I watched her, the more I listened to her speak, laugh, cry... I realized I was falling. Hard.
Her golden heart. Her haunting gray eyes. That intoxicating chocolate scent. The little ways she smiled when she thought no one noticed. I didn't just want her—I needed her. The first time in my life, I actually imagined something real. Permanent.
I wanted Angel to be mine. The woman I'd finally settle down with. Protect. Love. Worship.
But that dream crumbled the moment she looked me in the eye at the restaurant and told me—without flinching—that she didn't care what the world thought. She'd rather be Raul's mistress than anyone else's queen.
She was willing to be hated, slut-shamed, dragged through the mud... just to be with him.
That's when I knew.
She never belonged to me. Her heart was already spoken for.
And yeah, I tried to show her I cared. Tried to make her feel something for me—anything. But Angel? She's too good. Too kind. If she ever ended up with me, it would've been out of guilt, not love. Out of pity.
And I couldn't do that to her. Or to myself.
I should've known from the beginning.
The day she walked into Raul's office... it was the first time Raul and I had spoken properly in years. And even then, it was about business.
I can still remember clearly the way he looked at her. The way his voice dipped into warning when he told me to stay away; that wasn't just business. That was possession.
And Catalina—his perfect wife—was right there in the room. He didn't care. He saw Angel and everything else became background noise.
Looking back now, it makes sense. Raul's always been the golden boy. The untouchable one. And I—I've been the fuck-up in the shadows.
Catalina, that manipulative viper, seduced me without guilt. And I let her. Because back then, I wanted to hurt Raul, even if I didn't admit it to myself.
But Angel changed that. Changed me. She made me want to be better.
So I told her to follow her heart. Even if it meant letting her go. Even if it broke me.
I owed Raul that. I owed her that.
I've taken too much from my brother. His peace. His trust. His pride.
I just hope... someday... he finds it in himself to forgive me.
And maybe, somehow, I'll learn to forgive myself.